Chapter 5 of A Poet's Mind by Author/Poet Alex Ness continues with "The Way of Poetry".

THE WAY OF POETRY

SO I am a male. But I am a poet. So I have advice for males wishing to be a poet. So you want to be a poet? Really? Why? What you may want to be is popular, thought clever, sexy, but what you could really be thought of is emo, self-centered, weak, or gay… because in Western society, society expects men to keep their emotions inside. So you will offer readers of your work a chance to judge you, for simply being what you are. But do not worry. If you are a poet, you’ll know.

“A true poet does not bother to be poetical. Nor does a nursery gardener scent his roses.” Jean Cocteau

It will show. You don’t set out to be a poet, being a poet expresses itself in your life, in your writing in your work. I kept trying to be an historian. I took many classes, I had a high IQ so I was told I should be a scholar, but my writing was never scholarly. I lived between three worlds at that time. I lived in and worked in the world of the scholar in academia who tries to think rationally. I lived in the real world, where people try to earn money and be happy or buy stuff or be horny. And I lived in the world between them, where I observed everything as an outsider, and recorded it, for no reason but for the fact, that I was a poet.

“A poet's autobiography is his poetry. Anything else is just a footnote.” Yevgeny Yevtushenko

So if you are trying to be a poet, it might be a sign that you are a writer trying too hard to write poetry, because a poet bubbles with poetry. It just happens, it is a natural reaction to what you are seeing around you, what you are experiencing, who you are and who the world is around you. I am not saying you are not a poet if, or you are a poet if you… I am saying you know if you are a poet. That is all.

“Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.” Leonard Cohen

What? You still want to be a poet? Well then you need to understand that rather than vomiting out your emotions onto the page like people think a poet does, you need to channel your feelings into your words, and use precision to make those words powerful, instead a splattered shot of shotgun of words.

“Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those who have personality and emotions know what it means to want to escape from these things.” T.S. Eliot

This is all said in love and hope that anyone wanting to become a poet will understand that being one, is 1) not easy, 2) not for everyone, 3) not something you just decided to do, and 4) maybe less for you than might otherwise have thought. But if you do choose to become a poet, I wish you good poetry, and a great life to feed your words.

SUBJECT MATTER

Remember up there a bit, where I said I was in academia? Yes I was. I received college degrees and taught in university. But, I didn’t like it. You see, I don’t have an interest in making you understand, and, I do not have a stake in your understanding of what I am saying. However, I have a very great interest in exposing you to events and ideas that I consider important. Teaching history and political science in college and humanities to younger students was rewarding, somewhat, but, for me, it was a lot of energy devoted to teaching ideas and facts that people didn’t care about. I preferred to rather wrap ideas in words, and events in fascinating details, to encourage people to read further. Teaching is great, and I admire those who do it, but for me, my patience for doing so was very limited, and my interest, well it was far lower than my patience. So I teach now but in my own way, I try to entertain while exposing people to information that is important.

God bless me, for I might have sinned. But I will keep trying.

TODAY’S POEM

The pic is my own creation using two Public Domain images.

INUNDATION

Time flows but not like a river Always moving Inexorable but without aim Simply filling every emptiness It sweeps forward, backward Inside and outside Time is without our consent Scrolls and tablets Remember what men forget Regrets and torments of the killer torrents Of the lost age Of steel Of the lost wisdoms And learning Imagine the sorrows Of a world erased Civilizations rise Fall The water flows The deluge grows People die As their world Commits suicide And time continues To flow To turn To grow To swirl

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About the Author - J.M. Hunter

J.M. Hunter is best expressed as an artist who enjoys working in many mediums. One of them is writing. In the guise of InDiY Hunter, J.M. Hunter’s focus is as an independent comics creator who interviews other Independent artists/creators and showcases their personal ideologies and stories. The “hits” and “almost-got’ems” of the creative collective that do their craft not because it’ll make them rich but because they love what they do, even when they don’t is a special kind of magic. This is the reward that keeps on giving and J.M. Hunter likes it. HE LIKES IT!